£102m to be driven into smart energy innovations

The government has launched a mission to halve the energy use of new buildings and announced a new pot of funding to support investment in developing smart energy products and services.

The government has launched a mission to halve the energy use of new buildings and announced a new pot of funding to support investment in developing smart energy products and services.

Unveiling the first missions of her government’s Industrial Strategy Grand Challenges on 21 May, Prime Minister Theresa May set out an aim to at least halve the energy use of new buildings by 2030 and halve the cost of reaching the same standard in existing buildings.

“Heating and powering buildings accounts for 40 per cent of our total energy usage. By halving the energy use of new buildings - both commercial and residential - we could reduce the energy bills for their occupants by as much as 50 per cent”, she said.

Other missions included putting the UK at the forefront of the design and manufacturing of zero emission vehicles, with all new cars and vans effectively zero emission by 2040.

The initiative aims to bring together businesses and academia to develop and demonstrate new smart products and services that deliver cleaner, cheaper and more resilient energy systems for local communities.

‘Exciting time’

Rob Saunders, interim challenge director of Prospering from the Energy Revolution, said: “This is an exciting time for energy innovations. The convergence of new technologies with artificial intelligence, big data, and the internet of things promises a new energy future.

“This future will be one of lower carbon and more efficient energy supply, distribution and storage, giving consumers more control.”